


Thanks and Praise

by AetherBunny



Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Bittersweet, Crisis of Faith, Dialogue Heavy, Gen, Happy Ending, Healing, Light Angst, M/M, Meta, Religious Discussion, Religious Guilt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:07:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27053899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AetherBunny/pseuds/AetherBunny
Summary: “Crowley, I’ve been thinking about when you stopped time. I think I have an answer. I don’t know if it’s a good answer or a bad answer but I think we can figure that out together.”My take on how Crowley was able to stop time at the airfield. This was going to be meta on my tumblr, but I decided to make it a fic instead.The tags make it sound sadder and more serious than it is? Notes at the end with more info!
Relationships: Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	Thanks and Praise

**Author's Note:**

> It's not sad sad, but it does have some sad implications, mostly about how angels are treated. Doesn't make God look great, so if you're not okay with that maybe skip this one.
> 
> I'm not here to ruffle feathers, I'm just here to be a lapsed Catholic lol.

“Crowley My Dear Boy, may I ask you something?” Aziraphale abruptly put down his book to look at his companion.

“Yeah Angel, whatever you want.” Crowley propped himself up on the couch.

“Well it’s been on my mind for some time.”

“Yeah?”

“Since the airfield.”

“Mm Hmm.”

“And I know what I want to ask, but not really how to ask it.”

“Aziraphale, what is your question?” Crowley asked a little more pointedly, Aziraphale shifted. “I won’t be mad about whatever it is.”

“How were you able to stop time? Is that what you were hoping to do?”

“Mmyeah, it’s what I wanted, but I didn’t know if I was going to do it. I figured if I couldn’t do it at least I tried.” He shrugged and pulled himself up to sit a little more properly.

“Crowley you held off _Satan_.”

“Yeah. Look I don’t know much more about _how_ I did it than you do Angel. I’m just glad it worked.”

\--

That had been a few weeks ago, and Aziraphale just could not get the whole thing out of his mind.

\--

“Crowley, I’ve been thinking about when you stopped time. I think I have an answer. I don’t know if it’s a good answer or a bad answer but I think we can figure that out together.” He fiddled with his dessert fork.

“Alright Love, lets have it. What have you got for me?”

“Well, ah, follow along with me please. This may take a moment to get to the conclusion.” He deftly set down his little plate on the table beside him.

“Yeahalright.”

“God.” He began, but he furrowed his brow and started over. “Prayer.” He nodded. “There are types of prayer, correct?”

“That’s more your area of expertise than mine.”

“Don’t be funny right now please, I _know_ you know this.” Aziraphale sighed, this was not an easy thing to explain. “You can pray for guidance, you can pray for protection, you can pray to an angel or saint to intercede on your behalf. You can pray in praise or thanks, but you should only offer those types of prayers to – to God. You should only worship _God_.”

“Not everybody does Angel.”

“Right, right, that’s sort of where this is going. I just – well I suppose I’ll continue and you can see where I’m headed. Let me try this. Who, in your opinion, are the more powerful demons?”

“Well, you saw Satan, there’s Lucifer, Beelzebub, the rest of the Seven Princes. Dagon’s got a bit of power behind her name. Hastur was always a little stronger than Ligur, even though you’d think it was the other way around. Baphomet is pretty busy.”

“And what do those demons have in common?” Aziraphale waited while Crowley thought. Eventually he reached a conclusion.

“They’re famous I s’ppose. People know their names on the street.”

“Right! So if one was say, more inclined to pray to a demon, to worship a demon, those would be the demons?”

“Yeah, people build all kinds of alters to them and stuff.” He made a little sprinkly hand motion.

“Yes! You’ve got it Crowley I just don’t know if you recognize you’re there!” Aziraphale clapped his hands and leaned in eagerly.

“So you’re saying that _prayer_ is what gives the demons power?”

“You do get it! You’re so clever!”

“Right, but what does that have to do with me? Nobody prays to me? Nobody’s got cute little Cowley alters or anything.” Crowley was suddenly a little jealous, he sort of wanted a little alter or two in his name.

“But they DO Crowley, you just don’t know it!”

“Please spell it out for me Angel I still don’t know if I understand.” He rubbed his temples, wishing for alcohol, but knowing this was not the type of conversation to have drunk.

“God – God she, I think she – she doesn’t want any of the rest of us to be worshiped or we’ll gain more power.” He spit it out in one nervous stream. “As an angel I’m _not allowed to be worshiped_. I am only as powerful as _she_ made me... That’s what she told us.” He added quietly, and took a breath before continuing. “But if you don’t worship God that power goes to whomever you DO worship. People can choose to pray to those demons and they’re _allowed to be worshiped_ by their own rules.” He gained confidence as he spoke. “All those times you interacted with somebody Crowley, all those times you did something kind in my stead, somebody acknowledged you. Somebody was grateful to you, somebody _praised_ you!” Aziraphale looked contrite and it made Crowley ache just a little.

“Wait a second, so you’re telling me all those times I did a blessing for you I was charging my own batteries?” The weight of it all was starting to sink into him.

“In a manner of speaking yes!”

“I’ll be damned. Why didn’t it work the same way for you?”

“I can’t keep any of the praise. I could hardly tell people my own name.”

“Aziraphale is kind of a mouthful.” He joked ignoring Aziraphale’s implications. “So what would this mean for say, Michael or Gabriel?”

“I did think about that too. I think notoriety does have some bearing on one’s batteries as you put it.” Aziraphale was grateful for Crowley’s careful oversight.

“But not as much as actual worship. So there is a difference in _belief in_ and direct _prayers to_.” Crowley followed up.

“Right! I confess I’ve been too apprehensive to try and see if I’ve gained even _some_ power from my time here on earth. I certainly hope people believe I’m here.” He felt his chest as if to check he was in fact in his own bookshop.

“You can try now? See what you can do? It would be fun!” Crowley closed the distance between the couch and chair, and knelt in front of Aziraphale.

“Maybe so Crowley, but I don’t think I can just yet. I don’t think I’m quite ready to know that.” He put a gentle hand on Crowley’s cheek.

“Alright, yeah, that’s alright. Well, I want to be there when you do. I want to cheer you on!” He leaned into the touch.

“Of course Dear Boy, of course. I wouldn’t dream of doing it without you.” They stayed that way for just a moment.

“What are we doing for the rest of the afternoon? Nothing? Great! I have some demons I want to sucker punch, care to take a day trip to hell?”

Aziraphale laughed.

**Author's Note:**

> This is half raised-Catholic-but-no-longer-really-identifies-as-Catholic and half the overall concept of Gaiman's American Gods? 
> 
> Basically Deities rely on people to worship or at least believe in them to keep existing. The more belief they have the stronger they are. I just applied that logic to the GO universe as well! It felt very natural.
> 
> Like I said I was just gonna make a meta post, but thought it might be more fun as a fic? But my tumblr is here >> [Aetherbunny](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/aetherbunny) Feel free to say hello! or ask questions or perhaps buy me a kof-fi if you know what I mean? It's my side, but I'm on my main pretty much daily so I'll see whatever mobile allows me to...


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